Feast Meets West is a celebration of Asian culture through the lens of food. We are a platform for socializing the diversity of the Asian experience, sharing the history of iconic dishes to the underrepresented foods, and amplifying the voices of the passionate people in the world of Asian food.

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Jul 7 Episode 22: Judy Joo + Korean Barbecue

UK Iron Chef, international restauranteur, and cookbook author Judy Joo joined us for this special 4th of July episode to talk about Korean BBQ! Tune into this episode to learn what makes Korean BBQ different from other barbecue and why it’s so popular.

We kick off the episode with our usual discussion of what's the best thing we ate. Lynda had a great raw wagyu steak sushi at Salt + Charcoal in Williamsburg, while Iris real-talks about crappy takeout (we can't always eat great food!) and K-Roll, a Hong Kong kimbap fast food concept.

We then introduce our topic, Korean BBQ, as well as our guest, Judy Joo. She is a cookbook author, UK Iron Chef, and host of Cooking Channel’s ‘Korean Food Made Simple’. Her restaurant, Jinjuu, has locations in both London and Hong Kong. And fun fact: she was the first person on the Food Network to use the term "foodgasm" on TV. She tells us about the interesting path she took from engineering to finance to the kitchen and the challenges of opening a Korean restaurant in London. She also tells us about how one of her missions is to get non-Koreans trying and cooking Korean food.

We then switch gears and talk about Korean BBQ. Judy explains how it works and how it's most famed for being cooked at the table, unlike many other forms of barbecue. She also explains why traditionally Korean food, like Chinese food, has often been cut or diced up since knives were considered to be weapons and not present on the dining table. She then tells us the best way to enjoy Korean BBQ and why it's totally worth it, even if you have to throw all your smoked out clothes in the laundry after a meal out!

31:10 "My story of success is really speckled with a thousand more stories of failure, and you have to get used to failure." - Judy Joo on the challenges of being female and Asian in food and media.

Finally, she talks about what's next and her thoughts on being one of the few Asian women in both media and the kitchen, and why that's important. Remember to pick up a copy of Judy's cookook, Korean Food Made Simple, and make sure you check out Jinjuu the next time you’re in London or Hong Kong.

We would also like to invite everyone to the Feast Meets West community online! You can find us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Not only will you stay updated on what’s coming up next on the show, but we also post content on many other Asian foods you love.